Report: Video shows Vance McAllister kissing staffer

Freshman GOP Rep. Vance McAllister of Louisiana — who ran for office as a principled conservative Christian — has been caught on video in a romantic encounter with a woman believed to be on his congressional staff just before Christmas.

The Ouachita Citizen, a newspaper based in West Monroe, La., posted a Dec. 23 surveillance video purportedly from inside McAllister’s district office in Monroe.

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The video shows McAllister kissing a woman identified by the newspaper as a congressional staffer for the first-term lawmaker. Federal payroll records show she is a part-time aide who began working for McAllister the day after he won his seat last year.

McAllister won a special election on Nov. 16 to replace Rep. Rodney Alexander (R-La.). McAllister won in the heavily Republican district by playing up his conservative credentials, including his Christian faith and his 16-year marriage.

McAllister’s Washington office door was locked Monday. He issued a statement in the afternoon apologizing for the incident and asking for forgiveness.

McAllister also asked for privacy as his family deals with the fallout from the scandal. McAllister and his wife, Kelly, have five children.

“There’s no doubt I’ve fallen short and I’m asking for forgiveness. I’m asking for forgiveness from God, my wife, my kids, my staff, and my constituents who elected me to serve,” McAllister said in his statement.

“Trust is something I know has to be earned whether you’re a husband, a father, or a congressman. I promise to do everything I can to earn back the trust of everyone I’ve disappointed.”

McAllister added: “From day one, I’ve always tried to be an honest man. I ran for Congress to make a difference and not to just be another politician. I don’t want to make a political statement on this, I would just simply like to say that I’m very sorry for what I’ve done.

“While I realize I serve the public, I would appreciate the privacy given to my children as we get through this.”

House GOP leaders also had no official reaction to the McAllister report. It was first posted on Monday afternoon by the Ouachita Citizen.

The local newspaper did not specify how it obtained the video, which came from inside McAllister’s district office.